The present invention relates to a vehicle user interface.
As is known, in the automotive industry, the current trend in the design of driver- or passenger-performable vehicle functions is increasingly towards solutions characterized by a high degree of interaction between the driver, passengers, vehicle and the outside world.
In particular, drivers and passengers are allowed an increasing amount of control over vehicle efficiencyxe2x80x94e.g. air conditioning and stereo systems, etc.xe2x80x94and over interaction between the vehicle and the outside worldxe2x80x94e.g. control of cellular phone calls, interference by cellular phones when listening to music, control of on-vehicle computer information, dialoguing with the navigation system, etc.
Increasing demand therefore exists for vehicle user interfaces designed to make interaction between the user and the vehicle as simple and immediate as possible, so as not to distract the driver""s attention from the road, and which at the same time are reconfigurable to accommodate functions not contemplated at the design stage.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a reconfigurable user interface designed to make interaction between the user and the vehicle as simple and immediate as possible.
According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle user interface, characterized by comprising display means for displaying user-activatable functions, and selecting and activating means for selecting and activating said functions; said selecting and activating means operating according to a selection scheme having a number of selection directions arranged radially; and said display means comprising a number of first display sectors for displaying respective said functions, and which are each selectable by activating said selecting and activating means in a respective said selection direction, and are arranged in the same way as the respective said selection directions.
The present invention also relates to a vehicle user interface characterized by comprising display means for displaying user-activatable functions, and activating means for activating said functions; said display means having a display area for displaying said functions, and comprising a number of display sectors arranged side by side along an edge of said display area and each displaying a respective said function; said activating means comprising a number of push-button-type activating elements, one for each said display sector, located adjacent to and corresponding with the respective said display sectors, and each for activating a respective function displayed in the respective display sector; said activating means also comprising a shift control element for varying the functions displayed in said display sectors according to a predetermined shift scheme.